A Guilding Light
by Seriously Facetious
Summary: As dark spirits endanger the human world, the Moon Spirit and an evening star contemplate the shifting balance between the two worlds and what they can do to help the spiritually lacking Avatar Korra.


I was curious about the spirit's perspective of these new 'dark spirits,' and I've wondered about Yue's transition into being a spirits, so that's how this happened. Not entirely sure where I'm going with it, but we'll see.

Seventy years felt like both an eternity and the blink of an eye. It had been more than painful to watch as the people she'd loved during her mortal life aged and passed on, but not everything had been so awful in regards to gaining immortality. She'd been able to watch the growth and advancement of her people – take pride in their accomplishments and feel sorrow for their failures. Yue had not known what life as the moon spirit would entail, but at least she was not alone in the spirit world.

Her realm, the realm of celestial spirits, was rather pleasant compared to the other parts. The land, or so she thought of it, appeared like a reflective lake. An entire landscape placed on a giant mirror. There was a mountain in the distance, but she preferred to stay near the glen of ice trees. That was how she'd come to think of them. They weren't really trees, and they weren't really ice, but she couldn't think of any better way to describe them. The occasional cloud drifted over the lake, but there was no other weather. It was always pleasant, and always that time between dusk and nightfall.

As for companionship, the other celestial spirits had not been too welcoming. They were not unkind, but it was hard for them to accept her as a replacement for the much loved Tui. A few were more friendly than some, but the most friendly, the one who'd guided Yue in her new life, was the spirit of an evening star most humans probably never noticed. Ataska was just one of many, not the brightest nor the biggest. When the moon was full, she was almost impossible to spot, but she was kind and a great comfort to Yue. It was this spirit that Yue spent most of her time and even confided in her occasional bouts of human emotion.

While the other stars were more removed from humans, Ataska cared deeply for them. She spent her time watching them, trying to understand them and their complexity. Even after all her years of silent observation, Ataska still barely understood them. When Yue arrived, it was a marvelous experience to be able to finally speak with a former human. Truthfully, Ataska had been thrilled but had to contain her excitement because even the star spirit knew Yue would be emotionally tender after giving up her life. That was not hard to understand.

It was this spirit Yue looked for at the moment. Something felt off, and she couldn't explain it. The other spirits had dismissed her worries, but Yue knew Ataska would take them seriously. Fortunately, it did not take long, Yue knew Ataska spent most of her time at what she'd come to call the 'Looking Glass' – a glen of ice trees with a 'pond' in the center that looked down upon the mortal realm. Ataska claimed that La had created it for Tui so that she could observe her beloved Water Tribe humans. The temptation grew too much and everyone knows how that ended. Now, it was Ataska's place of contemplation, and just as expected, Yue found the star spirit peering down at the human world. Yue knew it wasn't really appropriate to consider it 'down' given that the worlds existed parallel to one another, but it was hard not to given they were in the celestial realm.

"You've felt it too," Ataska's voice reminded Yue of the echo of clear bells or the whisper of a soft breeze. "The darkness. Something's upset the balance between the two worlds." She sounded troubled, and when Ataska turned to look at Yue, the Moon Spirit could see the concern etched in her eyes. Upon first meeting the other celestial spirits, Yue had a hard time making eye contact with them. Although some stars appeared somewhat human, none of their eyes had pupils or irises. They simply glowed a soft blue. It was impossible to tell where they were looking. Now, Yue found their glowing eyes eerily beautiful. The glowing eyes stood out against the slivery white faces of the stars. In Ataska's case, the eyes were set in the face of a young woman, albeit, a very unusual looking young woman. Admittedly, Ataska's familiar form made it easier for Yue to relate even if they had very little in common.

Yue dipped her head and glided over to sit beside the star who kneeled before the pond. "Yes," She sighed, even though the action was unnecessary. Old habits die-hard. "Nanuuk said not to worry but…" Yue did not want to say anything disrespectful of the Northern Star spirit. He was possibly as old was Tui and La.

"But he cares very little for the human realm," Ataska spoke the words Yue had wanted to say. However, Ataska left out the part about the stars further distancing themselves from human affairs after Tui's death. They had very little interaction to begin with, and the death of their beloved Moon Spirit had mostly turned their indifference to distaste if not flat out contempt.

"Do you know what's caused it?" Yue asked hopefully but could tell by the way Ataska looked away, back towards the pond, that the answer wasn't a good one.

"No, but I do know the humans are in great danger," Ataska mused aloud, tapping the serene pond with a slender finger, and as the ripples spread, the pond revealed an aerial view of the Southern Water tribe's main city. "The Avatar was attacked by a spirit, one I'd never seen before. It wasn't…there was something wrong…so very…like it was ill."

Yue had never seen Ataska look anything but mildly distraught before and that less than happy emotion had been for Yue's sake. To see the spirit actually looking concerned made her feel even worse. If Ataska was worried, then something had to be wrong. "What can we do?" There had to be something.

Ataska shook her head, "I don't know. Hopefully, the Avatar will restore the balance."

"What if she can't on her own?" Yue knew, as did the other spirits, about Korra's lack of connection to the Spirit World. The current avatar did not have the spirituality of her predecessor.

"She must, for all our sakes. I fear this darkness will spread," the woman composed of light spoke gravely.

Yue grabbed hold of Ataska's arm, "We must help her. It is our duty." The aura surrounding the Moon Spirit flared with her resolve. "Even if none of the other spirits will help, I will. I have to…" Yue pursed her lips before becoming too emotional, too much like the human she'd been and not like the spirit she was now.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ataska chuckled, "you are more like Tui than you think." She gently nudged the Moon Spirit playfully before returning to her previous solemnity. "I will help her and the other humans as well. You know I care for them."

"Thank you, Ataska," Yue released the star's arm and laced her fingers together on her lap. "I just wish I knew how."

"We will know when the time is right, but for now, all we can do is watch and wait," Ataska motioned to the pond with one hand while using the other to cover Yue's clasped hands in order to give them a reassuring squeeze.

And so the moon and an evening star anxiously waited for destiny to unfold.


End file.
